COMIC FANS OR NOSTALGIA FANS?

[Old Forum Fella]

Fun-tastic Comic was purely intended as a one-off. Virgin trains commissioned Egmont to produce a comic and a puzzle mag to be bagged with a few pens and pencils and given away free by Virgin Rail staff to kids when Eurostar was running late. (Crazy but true).

It was a 16 or 20 page comic, all black and white apart from the cover, full of reprints (Fuss Pot, Boy Boss, Nixon's Frankie Stein, etc).

The puzzle mag (Fun-tastic Puzzles) which I also did the cover for, was 32 pages (I think) but only A5 size. It reprinted various old Egmont puzzles, including many cartoons I'd done which had appeared in Know How magazine a year or two earlier.

As far as I know, Eurostar might still be giving away the comics, - but only if the train's late apparently.

Originally posted by Lew Stringer on the old forum on 23/1/2006

[Old Forum Fella]

I simply don't buy UK comics as they aree all for chjildrena nd aimed and kids humour (ok 200AD and VIz are exceptions) so my only real interest is in the nostalgia era - I think some of the new comics however look fantastic, brillaint paper, full colour, glossy some realy great strips etc Any buying to read i do is around US comics (Ultimates ETC) and UK comics aimed at the direct market ie Jack Staff, Stragehaven, Thrud the Barbarian etc and picking up old comics from 65 - 72ish (my fav era)

Originally posted by PMCS on the old forum on 24/1/2006

[Old Forum Fella]

Yes, UK comics are mostly aimed at kids, and most US comics are aimed at teenagers, but that doesn't mean we can't appreciate the work involved.

Originally posted by Anonymous on the old forum on 24/1/2006

[Old Forum Fella]

I do look at UK comics, but sorry the material is simply of no interest to me personally. I do appreciate some of the artwork involved (Jamie Smart, Lew Stringer, Steve Bright which is more anarchic to me than others) but most of it does nothing for me at all (that doesnt mean its not good just not my taste). US books are the same as well, books that are amed at teenagers etc is of little interest to me either - I actually only read a handful of comics ("Ultimates" for example which is aimed at slightly older readers, but I like it) my answer to the thread was that my interest in comics nowadays is mostly (tho' not entirely )nostalgia based - if you love kids comics go for it no harm in it.

Originally posted by Paul McScotty on the old forum on 24/1/2006

[Old Forum Fella]

I have to say I consider myself to be a comics fan and a nostalgist, but hopefullly I'm not blinkered by the nostalgia. (In that I know comics simply cannot be like they used to be). I follow everything that's happening in the mainstream UK industry. I buy several titles and check out the rest in newsagents. I find the evolution of comics over the past 100 plus years fascinating. They really are social documents of our times, whether it be reflecting attitudes or trivia. I like the fact that I can pull out a comic from 1892, 1935, 1958, 1970, 2001 or whenever and they all look totally different.

Whether I'd be as interested if I wasn't working in the industry I'm not sure. Probably not.

Originally posted by Lew Stringer on the old forum on 24/1/2006

[Old Forum Fella]

Think the people that are more interested in nostalgia are probably those, like myself, that prefer adventure comics. If Adam Eterno was in Lucky Bag or the Black Sapper in Beano, then I'd probably buy it. As they're not, I tend read US comics and small press, plus old Brit comics. No interest in 'humour' comics.

Originally posted by Anonymous on the old forum on 25/1/2006

[Old Forum Fella]

Sorry, to answer the original post, yes I agree with your hypothesis. All of my favourite comics are from when I was aged between about 6 and 10. This especially applies to my two absolute favourites, Shiver and Shake and Monster Fun. I still love those comics today - aged 38! Ha ha ha.

Originally posted by Pensky on the old forum on 27/1/2006